Dan'l Boone

Chronique

Dan'l Boone was born when Wolf Eyes' Nate Young, the Howling Hex's Neil Hagerty, and Formant's Charles Ballas worked on an album with Drainolith's Alex Moskos and found the creative chemistry so potent that they had to form another band to capture all of their ideas. The band's self-titled debut often feels like a well-balanced sampler of its individual members' different approaches to noise and experimental music, with aspects rising and receding in a surprisingly civilized fashion for an album involving musicians so well-versed in chaos. Along with a general nod to the seminal noise collages Hagerty pioneered during Royal Trux's Twin Infinitives days, the mellow mischief of opening track "Pasadena Rings" and the melted funk of "Mindface" call to mind his work over the years. Meanwhile, the gurgling electronics and static on "Thee Testimonye of an Maiden" and the cleverly layered "Paper Tree Alley" bear Young's stamp, even if neither track quite reaches the drastic peaks and valleys of Wolf Eyes at their most dramatic. Indeed, most of Dan'l Boone is more lulling than abrasive; those expecting an onslaught might be disappointed, but fans of any of these artists in the mood for some low-key experimentation should enjoy it for what it is.

© Heather Phares /TiVo